Disgraced Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his junior business partner, Rick Gates, have been indicted under charges brought through the Mueller inquiry into Russia collusion.

The charges centre around tens of millions of dollars being laundered through pro-Russian Ukraine political activities between 2006 and 2016. They cleaned the money through “scores of United States and foreign corporations, partnerships, and bank accounts.”

Manafort resigned from the Trump camapign in August 2016 amidst controversy over his Russian business ties.

These charges are no surprise, with Manafort having broadly been regarded as a “slam dunk” since details of his lobbying activity first came out.

The full charges come under the headings Conspiracy against the United States, Conspiracy to Launder Money, Failure to File Reports, False Statements, and acting as Unregistered Agents of a Foreign Principal.

The offending periods run between 2006 and 2017 and th case outline  cites an eye-watering $75,000,000 being laundered through foreign accounts, including in Cyprus, a known Russia centre of activity.

The lengthy indictment has been published in full by the Department of Justice.

Trump responded angrily, tweeting “Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren’t Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus????? ….Also, there is NO COLLUSION!”

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925006418989715456br>

Senator Warner, one of those leading the Senate’s own Russia Inquiry was scathing on the topic of Manafort as far back as Comey’s hearing, during which he said: “Recall, we began this entire process with the president and his staff first denying that the Russians were ever involved, and then falsely claiming that no one from his team was never in touch with any Russians.”

“We know that’s just not the truth. Numerous Trump associates had undisclosed contacts with Russians before and after the election, including the president’s attorney general, his former national security adviser and his current senior adviser, Mr Kushner,” he added.

“Mr Trump’s campaign manager, Mr Manafort, forced to step down over ties

to Russian-backed entities. The national security adviser, General

Flynn, had to resign over his lies about engagements with the Russians…And we saw the candidate him —

himself, express an odd and unexplained affection for the Russian

dictator while calling for the hacking of his opponent. There’s a lot to

investigate.”

“That doesn’t even begin to count the host of additional campaign associates and advisers who’ve also been caught up in this massive web. We saw Mr Trump’s campaign manager, Mr Manafort, forced to step down over ties to Russian-backed entities. The national security adviser, General Flynn, had to resign over his lies about engagements with the Russians,” he continued, concluding by saying: “And we saw the candidate him — himself, express an odd and unexplained affection for the Russian dictator while calling for the hacking of his opponent. There’s a lot to investigate. Enough, in fact, that then Director Comey publicly acknowledged that he was leading an investigation into those links between Mr Trump’s campaign and the Russian government.”

Within opening questions, Burr and Comey explicitly confirmed the involvement of Russia in the hybrid assault on the United States. The initial exchange was swift and direct.

“Do you have any doubt that Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 elections?” Burr asked.

“None,” Comey replied.

“We know that’s just not the truth. Numerous Trump associates had undisclosed contacts with Russians before and after the election, including the president’s attorney general, his former national security adviser and his current senior adviser, Mr Kushner,”

Steve Komarnyckyj – a PEN award-winning poet and writer for Ukraine’s Euromaidan who also worked on the Index On Censorship for two years – has previously explained his views on Manafort and the Trump Campaign.

He told me: “In Ukraine as in the US, Russia parachuted its candidate into the presidency. In Ukraine as in the US, he was aided by Manafort, a Republican party fixer. In Ukraine as in the US, the candidate was a Russian style oligarch tasked with establishing a managed democracy. A managed democracy is Putin’s term for his preferred social model.”

“Elections are won by oligarchic political parties by a combination of mass brainwashing using fake news and deniable terror,” he added.

“Elections are won by oligarchic political parties by a combination of mass brainwashing using fake news and deniable terror,”